Digital Art: Program Buying Guide 5/18

Last month we featured some digital software for design that creatives should purchase to enhance their projects and take them to the next level. Here is another list of software that will heighten any design project. Take a look at them below:

CINEMA 4D

Cinema 4D is a 3D modeling, animation, motion graphic and rendering application developed by MAXON Computer GmbH in Germany. With Cinema 4D you can create a range of stunning graphics and realistic renderings as seen above. The polygonal modeling, animation, lighting, texturing and rendering is incomparable to most programs. It employs the use of four variants; Prime (Core App), Broadcast (Motion-Graphics), Visualize (Architectural Design) and Studio (All Modules). In addition, a fifth variant was produced in 2014 called Lite which comes packaged with Adobe After Effects.

AutoDesk 3DS Max is a 3D computer graphics program for compiling 3D animations, models, games and images developed and produced by Autodesk Media and Entertainment. 3DS Max features an impressive range of materials and texture elements for efficient rendering of any kind, from scenery to people.

Adobe Illustrator CC is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Adobe Systems. It usually comes prepackaged with the entire Adobe Creative Suite (now Creative Cloud) which includes Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, AfterEffects and other notable Adobe applications. Illustrator. Illustrator is built for vector artists and other artists who crave clean cut produced graphics. It employs a myriad of tools such as the paintbrush, the pen, and the pencil

Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor which can be used to create or edit vector graphics such as illustrations, diagrams, line arts, charts, logos and complex paintings. It is also compatible with other programs such as Adobe Illustrator. Its primary format is SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). It can render primitive vector shapes and text and is also capable of embedding, tracing and customizing shapes and gradients. The inner working is similar to Illustrator.

ArtRage is a bitmap graphics editor for digital painting created by Ambient Design Ltd. The program supports both the Windows and macOS as well as both Apple and Android devices. It is not considered a “professional” program as many other digital applications are as it caters to those of all ages and all different skill levels. Originally it was designed for use with tablets, but has expanded since then. Mediums include oil paint, spray paint, pencil, acrylic and others. Other tools tracing, smearing, blurring, mixing and several others.